THE woman found dead in a cyanide suicide pact in an Edinburgh hotel cleared her nearby flat of all belongings and left a lengthy note before taking her own life.

The extraordinary last few hours of the woman were being pieced together last night.

It has emerged that the substance used in the Scotsman Hotel double suicide, which sparked a full scale chemical alert, was home made potassium cyanide.

There was evidence helium and large amounts of painkillers were also used.

And at the flat in World’s End Close, off the Royal Mile, sources said the woman, in her 40s, had meticulously removed all of her belongings, even taking the curtains off the rail.

Expert response team was called in after grim find (Image: Alan Simpson)

Two notes identified “family problems” as the reason for the pact, according to sources.

She and her ­companion checked in to the Scotsman for a three-night stay and their ­bodies were ­discovered when they failed to check out.

Detectives believe the ­potassium ­cyanide was made in the flat, having found traces during the search.

The chemicals to make the poison can be combined using just a few beakers and a pot of boiling water.

Police were last night trying to trace the pair’s next of kin and are working on the theory they are Czech, Polish or Russian.

Scotsman Hotel was evacuated (Image: Alan Simpson)

A neighbour at the second-floor flat, which is located in a close next to the famous World’s End pub, said: “There were a lot of police here on Thursday, removing stuff in evidence bags.

“Some of them were wearing protective clothing. All we know is that a man and a woman stayed in the flat.

“It’s a rented flat with one bedroom – the woman had been there for a few years and the man was seen there often too.

“Most of the flats round here are rented out for the Festival at the moment.

“The police took mail and other stuff away and opened the windows of the flat where the couple stayed. It’s obviously a terrible tragedy.”

The woman was last seen by neighbours on Wednesday. Police arrived at the flat around 2pm on Thursday, just an hour after the alarm was raised at the hotel.

A source said: “It’s quite clearly a very well-engineered, pre-meditated case whereby they have taken their own lives. Such ­incidents are known to occur in hotels as those involved know they will be found. It’s terribly sad.”

They were discovered on the sixth floor of the hotel at 12.15pm on ­Thursday.

Central Edinburgh ground to a halt after ­emergency services were called. The response team included the National Risk and ­Resilience Department, a joint Scottish Government and Fire Service unit who respond to chemical, nuclear and ­biological incidents.